1982 XR500R Dual Sport Trike Build

[XR500R Trike]

I want to share my 1982 XR500R trike conversion with everyone. I'm in the middle of converting this old 4 stroke thumper into the trike that Honda could have made, but didn't. And it will be fully street legal.


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I started out by fitting the stock seat pan to a 1985 ATC250r new plastic rear fender. I also recovered the seat. The seat and rear plastic and now one unit and secures using the stock mounts. I put a star shaped nuts on the rear bolts to be able to loosen them up by hand. This bike is kick start only. And because it's a motorcycle, it kicks to the back, not the front. I will have to remove the seat every time to crank it. Just one of the oddities of a conversion. But it works well.

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The rear swing arm is from a 1988 TRX250r that has been machined to fit into the frame and also I had to put in 20mm bearings, not the 30mm that is stock. The rear suspension linkage and shock is a OEM new take off from a 2005 TRX450R. I had to fab and weld in the mounts and supports for the rear suspension. I also extended the frame by 3 inches. Its just tacked in right now. And no, I am not a pro. But I will get those gaps welded up.

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My street tires are DOT radials. My front wheel will be a modified goldwing wheel to be a direct replacement for the 1985 ATC250R stock wheel. They use the same size diameter axle, but needs custom spacers to work. I will post pics later. The front forks are 1985 ATC250R, but are not on the bike yet. I am still building the trike, and will be tearing this down to the frame to paint before messing with the front forks. I am rebuilding the forks and adding new springs before it goes on.

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I will post more pics as I make progress.

[350for350]

Very nice project. It's ironic because I have a 1982 XR500 that is probably going to be my next project. I will be keeping it with only two wheels though.

[big specht]

Keep up the good work. Keep us in the loop. There was a thread on here were someone converted a xr 500 to a trike

[XR500R Trike]

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Thanks for the interest. I got the canister type oil cooler and remote oil filter tacked on. The Xr500r frame is taller then an ATC or TRX frame. This gives me plenty of clearance for the oil filter to be mounted between where I will build the battery box and the storage box. I'm using a plastic ammo can for the storage. Fits perfect.

[judge1111]

Looks great so far!...

I did a similar build with a KLR650 last year.

I see you are sticking with the stock triples...I used Harley wide glide triple clamps with the stock Kawi forks and a ZZR600 rear rim in front.

Lots of mock-up to see what fits where...I know your pain, but it's worth it!

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Enjoy!
LT

[Homeless Dave]

Cool project. I have an xr350 that i have though about doing this too, but time and money are the things i need but dont have! Cant wait to see how it turns out.

[XR500R Trike]

Looks great so far!...

I did a similar build with a KLR650 last year.

I see you are sticking with the stock triples...I used Harley wide glide triple clamps with the stock Kawi forks and a ZZR600 rear rim in front.

Lots of mock-up to see what fits where...I know your pain, but it's worth it!

268523

Enjoy!
LT


Looks great so far!...

I did a similar build with a KLR650 last year.

I see you are sticking with the stock triples...I used Harley wide glide triple clamps with the stock Kawi forks and a ZZR600 rear rim in front.

Lots of mock-up to see what fits where...I know your pain, but it's worth it!

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Enjoy!
LT

Thanks man. I love your solution for the front end. Trying to figure out the front tire was challenging. I went with OEM 1985 forks, triple tree to save time. Definitely not money. Judging by the prices I thought they would be gold plated. Trying to figure out a DOT radial to fit with the forks was a challenge. I wasn't happy with the choices which is why I started thinking of using a fat motorcycle tire and modified wheel instead. You must have had similar concerns. Your trike looks great. I wish I had electric start.

[XR500R Trike]

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I got the frame all welded up. The battery box is built out of 1/8 inch steel and welded into place. It also doubles as a frame brace. I cut off anything I didn't need. And got two coats of Rust-Oleum self etching primer on.

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I got the first coat of gloss black. I'm using VHT engine enamel for this. I think this will stay on pretty good.

[coolpool]

Looking great so far, watching this one for sure! Is that a wood stove in your paint booth?

[XR500R Trike]

Yes, that's a wood stove. When I paint anything, I will open both ends of the "paint booth" to get the fumes out before I use the stove. I put a duralog in there and it will heat the "paint booth" up in about 10 mins. Not ideal, but it works.

Also, I have a update. I didn't like the top coat so I dropped off the frame to the powder coater. The VHT enamel seemed to want to chip a little to easy for my taste. Should have done this in the first place. I'm using VHT caliper paint on some aluminum wheels for my Jeep, and it is not chipping. Live and learn.

[XR500R Trike]

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The frame is back from the powder coating. I like it. I'm going to powder coat the rear brake stay, front hub and off road wheels to match. I will pull the motor next winter to have it done. For now I have some upgrades to do to it. I had to swap the stator out because it only produces 6v power. I put in a street version from a XL500S. I will only use 2 wires from this. One for the CDI and one to feed through a regulator rectifier to make a 12 volt power source. Thanks XR500only for the write up on this upgrade. I will be adding a battery, ignition and all the relays to complete the electrical system. More to come on that. I found why the valve cover was leaking oil. It has stripped threads right where it was leaking. I will tap it out, and up a size. The oil system upgrade will require blocking off the oil passage in the clutch cover and adding two fittings. This will divert about half the oil through the oil cooler and filter and back into the same passage on the other side of the blockage. I'm a little nervous about this, but it is what racers seem to have done back in the day. I found one video that somewhat goes over it. Apparently the OEM oil pump is very strong, and should be able to handle what I'm doing. I have only rode this bike for one minute before buying it and immediately started on the build. I'm doing this because these old bikes apparently ran very hot. I don't want issues during the summer when I'm in traffic out running the roads. We will see how it works out. I will post more on this as it gets done.